William S. Hamilton
Encyclopedia
William Stephen Hamilton (August 4, 1797 – October 9, 1850), a son of Alexander Hamilton
and Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton
, was a politician and miner who lived much of his life in the U.S. state of Illinois
and territorial Wisconsin
. Hamilton was born in New York, where he attended the United States Military Academy
before he resigned and moved to Illinois in 1817. In Illinois he lived in Springfield and Peoria and eventually migrated to the lead-mining region of southern Wisconsin and established Hamilton's Diggings at present-day Wiota
. Hamilton served in various political offices and as a commander in two Midwest Indian Wars
. In 1849 he moved to California on the heels of the California Gold Rush
. He died in Sacramento
, most likely of cholera
, in October 1850.
. In 1814 he was admitted to the United States Military Academy
, from which he had resigned by 1817. Following his resignation from West Point, Hamilton migrated to Sangamon County, Illinois
. He lived in Springfield
and Peoria, Illinois
until 1827 when he moved to the lead mining region around the Fever River.
from Sangamon County in 1824. While working in the legislature Hamilton sponsored a bill that imposed a state-wide tax intended to fund road repair and maintenance. The tax was proportional to property value, to be paid in labor or money, and replaced an older system which required every able-bodied man to work on the roads five days per year. The bill passed, and the new law was met with much opposition; it was repealed by the next legislature in 1826–27. Hamilton served as aide de camp to Governor Edward Coles
, and while living in Illinois, first in Springfield and later in Peoria, Hamilton worked for the General Land Office
as Deputy Surveyor of Public Lands. In that position he surveyed Springfield's township
.
In late 1827 Hamilton served during the Winnebago War
in the volunteer Illinois Militia as a captain. Hamilton commanded a company
raised in Galena, Illinois
known as the Galena Mounted Volunteers. Hamilton's company was under the command of Henry Dodge
and was mustered into service on August 26, 1827 and released on September 10, 1827. Hamilton moved to Wisconsin and established Hamilton's Diggings in 1827.
During the April–August 1832 Black Hawk War
, between white settlers in the lead mining regions and Sauk Chief Black Hawk's
British Band
, Hamilton again served in the volunteer militia. Accounts of the war indicated that Hamilton was often in charge of the militia's indigenous allies. At the war's onset it was known that many of the Sioux
and Menominee
were eager to join the conflict against the Sauk. Hamilton was sent to the Michigan Territory
, north of Prairie du Chien
, to recruit the assistance of indigenous allies. The result was successful and several parties of U.S. aligned Native Americans
joined the war.
In June, Hamilton's return to Fort Hamilton
with a large group of militia-aligned Native Americans coincided with the arrival of one of the survivors of the June 14 Spafford Farm massacre
. The survivor, Francis Spencer, arrived at the fort around the same time as Hamilton did - accompanied by U.S. aligned Menominee
. Afraid that the fort, like his party at the farm, had also been attacked, Spencer retreated back into the woods. He avoided the fort for between six and nine days, when hunger finally drove him into the open and he realized his mistake. On June 16, about an hour after the fight at Horseshoe Bend
, Hamilton arrived on the battlefield with U.S. aligned Menominee
, Sioux
and Ho-Chunk
warriors. According to Dodge, the warriors were given some of the scalp
s his men had taken, with which they were "delighted". Dodge also reported that the allied warriors then proceeded onto the battlefield and mutilated the corpses of the fallen Kickapoo.
In 1842 and 1843 Hamilton served as an elected member of the Wisconsin Territorial Assembly. Hamilton lost an 1843 election for the national-level office of Wisconsin Territory
delegate to the United States Congress
, and in 1848 he lost an election for delegate to the Wisconsin Constitutional Convention. Though well known as a smelter and miner in the lead region of southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois
, Hamilton was unable to achieve the political fame he desired.
. During the 1832 Black Hawk War a fort was erected at Hamilton's Diggings, it was known as Fort Hamilton. Two contemporary descriptions of Hamilton's Diggings provide a glimpse into the mining life of Hamilton and the others settled at present-day Wiota. An 1831 account from Juliette Kinzie noted the unkempt conditions as "shabby" and "unpromising". Kinzie also decried the foul language from the miners, whom she called the "roughest-looking set of men I ever beheld." The other description of early Wiota was provided by Theodore Rodolf in 1834. Rodolf, a one-time political opponent of Hamilton, contrasted the settlement's apparently rough exterior with small, finer details, such as the presence of a quarto
edition of Voltaire's
works, printed in Paris.
Hamilton never married and presented a rough, garish appearance. His mother, Elizabeth Schuyler
(daughter of General Philip Schuyler
) visited Hamilton at Hamilton's Diggings during the winter of 1837–38. During the same period, Hamilton briefly owned the Mineral Point
Miners' Free Press; he sold it to a group from Galena and the paper became known as the Galena Democrat.
When gold was discovered in California
, in 1848, gold fever
spread into the Midwest lead-mining region. Hamilton set out for California
, arriving in 1849, with high hopes, and new equipment. His life in the west would prove to be a disappointment and he later regretted moving there. Hamilton told a friend in California that he would "rather have been hung in the 'Lead Mines' than to have lived in this miserable hole (California)."
, and, according to his doctor, died from "malarial fever resulting in spinal exhaustion terminating in paralysis superinduced by great bodily and mental strain."
William S. Hamilton died in Sacramento, California
on October 9, 1850 at age 53. He was interred in the Sacramento Historic City Cemetery
. The section of the cemetery where he is buried was named Hamilton Square in his honor. Hamilton had been in California
about one year when he died from what he called "mountain fever", most likely cholera
during an 1850 epidemic.
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton was a Founding Father, soldier, economist, political philosopher, one of America's first constitutional lawyers and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury...
and Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton
Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton
Elizabeth Hamilton was the wife of Alexander Hamilton. She was born in Albany, New York, the second daughter of Philip Schuyler, an American Revolutionary War general, and Catherine Van Rensselaer Schuyler, one of the richest and most political families in the state of New York...
, was a politician and miner who lived much of his life in the U.S. state of Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and territorial Wisconsin
Wisconsin Territory
The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin...
. Hamilton was born in New York, where he attended the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
before he resigned and moved to Illinois in 1817. In Illinois he lived in Springfield and Peoria and eventually migrated to the lead-mining region of southern Wisconsin and established Hamilton's Diggings at present-day Wiota
Wiota, Wisconsin
Wiota is a town in Lafayette County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 900 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated communities of Five Corners and Woodford are located in the town.-History:When lead miner, William S...
. Hamilton served in various political offices and as a commander in two Midwest Indian Wars
Indian Wars
American Indian Wars is the name used in the United States to describe a series of conflicts between American settlers or the federal government and the native peoples of North America before and after the American Revolutionary War. The wars resulted from the arrival of European colonizers who...
. In 1849 he moved to California on the heels of the California Gold Rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
. He died in Sacramento
Sacramento
Sacramento is the capital of the state of California, in the United States of America.Sacramento may also refer to:- United States :*Sacramento County, California*Sacramento, Kentucky*Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta...
, most likely of cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
, in October 1850.
Early life
William Stephen Hamilton was born August 4, 1797 in New York, third-youngest child and second-youngest son of Alexander HamiltonAlexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton was a Founding Father, soldier, economist, political philosopher, one of America's first constitutional lawyers and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury...
. In 1814 he was admitted to the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
, from which he had resigned by 1817. Following his resignation from West Point, Hamilton migrated to Sangamon County, Illinois
Sangamon County, Illinois
Sangamon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 197,465, which is an increase of 4.5% from 188,951 in 2000...
. He lived in Springfield
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
and Peoria, Illinois
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
until 1827 when he moved to the lead mining region around the Fever River.
Political and militia service
Hamilton first held elected office in 1824 as a member of the Illinois House of RepresentativesIllinois House of Representatives
The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The state House of Representatives is made of 118 representatives elected from...
from Sangamon County in 1824. While working in the legislature Hamilton sponsored a bill that imposed a state-wide tax intended to fund road repair and maintenance. The tax was proportional to property value, to be paid in labor or money, and replaced an older system which required every able-bodied man to work on the roads five days per year. The bill passed, and the new law was met with much opposition; it was repealed by the next legislature in 1826–27. Hamilton served as aide de camp to Governor Edward Coles
Edward Coles
Edward Coles manumitted his slaves in 1819, was secretary to James Madison , neighbor and anti-slavery associate of Thomas Jefferson and was the second Governor of Illinois, serving from 1822 to 1826...
, and while living in Illinois, first in Springfield and later in Peoria, Hamilton worked for the General Land Office
General Land Office
The General Land Office was an independent agency of the United States government responsible for public domain lands in the United States. It was created in 1812 to take over functions previously conducted by the United States Department of the Treasury...
as Deputy Surveyor of Public Lands. In that position he surveyed Springfield's township
Springfield Township, Sangamon County, Illinois
Springfield Township is located in Sangamon County, Illinois. It is made up of unincorporated areas bordering on the city of Springfield, which should not be confused with the township of the same name. The population of Springfield Township was 7,046 at the 2000 census.- External links :***...
.
In late 1827 Hamilton served during the Winnebago War
Winnebago War
The Winnebago War was a brief conflict that took place in 1827 in the Upper Mississippi River region of the United States, primarily in what is now the state of Wisconsin. Not quite a war, the hostilities were limited to a few attacks on American civilians by a portion of the Winnebago Native...
in the volunteer Illinois Militia as a captain. Hamilton commanded a company
Company (military unit)
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–225 soldiers and usually commanded by a Captain, Major or Commandant. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure...
raised in Galena, Illinois
Galena, Illinois
Galena is the county seat of, and largest city in, Jo Daviess County, Illinois in the United States, with a population of 3,429 in 2010. The city is a popular tourist destination known for its history, historical architecture, and ski and golf resorts. Galena was the residence of Ulysses S...
known as the Galena Mounted Volunteers. Hamilton's company was under the command of Henry Dodge
Henry Dodge
Henry Dodge was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, Territorial Governor of Wisconsin and a veteran of the Black Hawk War. His son was Augustus C. Dodge with whom he served in the U.S. Senate, the first, and so far only, father-son pair to serve concurrently....
and was mustered into service on August 26, 1827 and released on September 10, 1827. Hamilton moved to Wisconsin and established Hamilton's Diggings in 1827.
During the April–August 1832 Black Hawk War
Black Hawk War
The Black Hawk War was a brief conflict fought in 1832 between the United States and Native Americans headed by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted soon after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis, and Kickapoos known as the "British Band" crossed the Mississippi River into the U.S....
, between white settlers in the lead mining regions and Sauk Chief Black Hawk's
Black Hawk (chief)
Black Hawk was a leader and warrior of the Sauk American Indian tribe in what is now the United States. Although he had inherited an important historic medicine bundle, he was not one of the Sauk's hereditary civil chiefs...
British Band
British Band
The British Band was a group of Native Americans which fought against Illinois and Michigan Territory militia units during the 1832 Black Hawk War. The band was composed of about 1,500 men, women, and children from the Sauk, Meskwaki, Fox, Kickapoo, Potawatomi, Ho-Chunk, and Ottawa nations;...
, Hamilton again served in the volunteer militia. Accounts of the war indicated that Hamilton was often in charge of the militia's indigenous allies. At the war's onset it was known that many of the Sioux
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
and Menominee
Menominee
Some placenames use other spellings, see also Menomonee and Menomonie.The Menominee are a nation of Native Americans living in Wisconsin. The Menominee, along with the Ho-Chunk, are the only tribes that are indigenous to what is now Wisconsin...
were eager to join the conflict against the Sauk. Hamilton was sent to the Michigan Territory
Michigan Territory
The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan...
, north of Prairie du Chien
Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin
Prairie du Chien is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 5,911 at the 2010 census. Its Zip Code is 53821....
, to recruit the assistance of indigenous allies. The result was successful and several parties of U.S. aligned Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
joined the war.
In June, Hamilton's return to Fort Hamilton
Fort Hamilton (Wisconsin)
Fort Hamilton was a frontier fort constructed in present-day Wiota, Wisconsin during the 1832 Black Hawk War.-History:Fort Hamilton was one of the hastily constructed frontier forts built in Wisconsin with the onset of the 1832 Black Hawk War. Fort Hamilton was located in present-day Wiota,...
with a large group of militia-aligned Native Americans coincided with the arrival of one of the survivors of the June 14 Spafford Farm massacre
Spafford Farm massacre
The Spafford Farm massacre, also referred to as the Wayne massacre, was an attack upon U.S. militia and civilians that occurred as part of the Black Hawk War near present day South Wayne, Wisconsin. Spafford Farm was settled in 1830 by Omri Spafford and his partner Francis Spencer.Before the war...
. The survivor, Francis Spencer, arrived at the fort around the same time as Hamilton did - accompanied by U.S. aligned Menominee
Menominee
Some placenames use other spellings, see also Menomonee and Menomonie.The Menominee are a nation of Native Americans living in Wisconsin. The Menominee, along with the Ho-Chunk, are the only tribes that are indigenous to what is now Wisconsin...
. Afraid that the fort, like his party at the farm, had also been attacked, Spencer retreated back into the woods. He avoided the fort for between six and nine days, when hunger finally drove him into the open and he realized his mistake. On June 16, about an hour after the fight at Horseshoe Bend
Battle of Horseshoe Bend (1832)
The Battle of Horseshoe Bend, also referred to as the Battle of Pecatonica and the Battle of Bloody Lake, was fought on June 16, 1832 in present-day Wisconsin at an oxbow lake known as "Horseshoe Bend", which was formed by a change in course of the Pecatonica River. The battle was a major turning...
, Hamilton arrived on the battlefield with U.S. aligned Menominee
Menominee
Some placenames use other spellings, see also Menomonee and Menomonie.The Menominee are a nation of Native Americans living in Wisconsin. The Menominee, along with the Ho-Chunk, are the only tribes that are indigenous to what is now Wisconsin...
, Sioux
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
and Ho-Chunk
Ho-Chunk
The Ho-Chunk, also known as Winnebago, are a tribe of Native Americans, native to what is now Wisconsin and Illinois. There are two federally recognized Ho-Chunk tribes, the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin and Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska....
warriors. According to Dodge, the warriors were given some of the scalp
Scalping
Scalping is the act of removing another person's scalp or a portion of their scalp, either from a dead body or from a living person. The initial purpose of scalping was to provide a trophy of battle or portable proof of a combatant's prowess in war...
s his men had taken, with which they were "delighted". Dodge also reported that the allied warriors then proceeded onto the battlefield and mutilated the corpses of the fallen Kickapoo.
In 1842 and 1843 Hamilton served as an elected member of the Wisconsin Territorial Assembly. Hamilton lost an 1843 election for the national-level office of Wisconsin Territory
Wisconsin Territory
The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin...
delegate to the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, and in 1848 he lost an election for delegate to the Wisconsin Constitutional Convention. Though well known as a smelter and miner in the lead region of southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois
Northern Illinois
Northern Illinois is a region generally covering the northern third of the U.S. state of Illinois.-Economics:Northern Illinois is dominated by the metropolitan areas of Chicago, Rockford, and the Quad Cities, which contain a majority of Illinois' population and economic activity, including...
, Hamilton was unable to achieve the political fame he desired.
Mining career
When Hamilton moved from Illinois to Wisconsin in the late 1820s he established a lead ore mine that became known as Hamilton's Diggings; he later renamed the settlement WiotaWiota, Wisconsin
Wiota is a town in Lafayette County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 900 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated communities of Five Corners and Woodford are located in the town.-History:When lead miner, William S...
. During the 1832 Black Hawk War a fort was erected at Hamilton's Diggings, it was known as Fort Hamilton. Two contemporary descriptions of Hamilton's Diggings provide a glimpse into the mining life of Hamilton and the others settled at present-day Wiota. An 1831 account from Juliette Kinzie noted the unkempt conditions as "shabby" and "unpromising". Kinzie also decried the foul language from the miners, whom she called the "roughest-looking set of men I ever beheld." The other description of early Wiota was provided by Theodore Rodolf in 1834. Rodolf, a one-time political opponent of Hamilton, contrasted the settlement's apparently rough exterior with small, finer details, such as the presence of a quarto
Quarto
Quarto could refer to:* Quarto, a size or format of a book in which four leaves of a book are created from a standard size sheet of paper* For specific information about quarto texts of William Shakespeare's works, see:...
edition of Voltaire's
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...
works, printed in Paris.
Hamilton never married and presented a rough, garish appearance. His mother, Elizabeth Schuyler
Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton
Elizabeth Hamilton was the wife of Alexander Hamilton. She was born in Albany, New York, the second daughter of Philip Schuyler, an American Revolutionary War general, and Catherine Van Rensselaer Schuyler, one of the richest and most political families in the state of New York...
(daughter of General Philip Schuyler
Philip Schuyler
Philip John Schuyler was a general in the American Revolution and a United States Senator from New York. He is usually known as Philip Schuyler, while his son is usually known as Philip J. Schuyler.-Early life:...
) visited Hamilton at Hamilton's Diggings during the winter of 1837–38. During the same period, Hamilton briefly owned the Mineral Point
Mineral Point, Wisconsin
Mineral Point is a city in Iowa County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,617 at the 2000 census. In 2008 the city's population had taken a decline and is currently only 2,462, but still the second most populous community in Iowa County...
Miners' Free Press; he sold it to a group from Galena and the paper became known as the Galena Democrat.
When gold was discovered in California
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
, in 1848, gold fever
Gold rush
A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States, while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.In the 19th and early...
spread into the Midwest lead-mining region. Hamilton set out for California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, arriving in 1849, with high hopes, and new equipment. His life in the west would prove to be a disappointment and he later regretted moving there. Hamilton told a friend in California that he would "rather have been hung in the 'Lead Mines' than to have lived in this miserable hole (California)."
Death
Before his death Hamilton fell ill for two weeks. He suffered multiple symptoms, including dysenteryDysentery
Dysentery is an inflammatory disorder of the intestine, especially of the colon, that results in severe diarrhea containing mucus and/or blood in the faeces with fever and abdominal pain. If left untreated, dysentery can be fatal.There are differences between dysentery and normal bloody diarrhoea...
, and, according to his doctor, died from "malarial fever resulting in spinal exhaustion terminating in paralysis superinduced by great bodily and mental strain."
William S. Hamilton died in Sacramento, California
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
on October 9, 1850 at age 53. He was interred in the Sacramento Historic City Cemetery
Sacramento Historic City Cemetery
The Sacramento Historic City Cemetery , located at 1000 Broadway, at 10th Street, is the oldest existing cemetery in Sacramento, California. The cemetery is located at the highest point in Sacramento...
. The section of the cemetery where he is buried was named Hamilton Square in his honor. Hamilton had been in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
about one year when he died from what he called "mountain fever", most likely cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
during an 1850 epidemic.